Mail-marking machine.



F. c. IELFIELD.

MAIL MARKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION F|LEDJUNEI2.1913.

1 136,96Q Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- INVENTEIR WiTNEEIEIEa ATTURNEY:

IHE. NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHoTc-LITHQ. WASHlNmum L c F. C. IELFIELD.

MAIL MARKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1913.

Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. v

ATTEI R NEYE' FRED C. IELFIELD, OF SILVER GREEK, NEW YORK.

MAIL-MARKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

Original application filed March 22, 1913, Serial No. 75$,191. Divided and this application filed June 12,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, FRED C. IELFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Silver Creek, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Marking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for canceling or post marking mail matter such as letters and post cards and has the objects to improve the means for separating one letter at a time from the supply stack of uncanceled letters and propelling the same past the printing device and to the stack of canceled letters.

This application is a sub-division of an application filed March 22, 1913, Serial In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a fragmentary top plan view of a mail marking machine embodying my improvements. tion of the machine partly in section. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section, on an enlarged scale, taken in line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

1 represents the horizontal table of the machine on the upper side of which are mounted the various parts which operate upon the letters or other mail matter and on the underside of which are mounted the driving mechanism for operating the working parts of the machine.

The letters 2 to be canceled are arranged edgewise side by side on the supply portion or section 3 of the table with their lower edges resting on the table and their front vertical edges engaging with a transverse wall 4 secured to the table while the foremost letter of the supply stack engages its outer face against a rear longitudinal wall 5 secured to the upper side of the table adjacent to the inner end of the transverse wall the letters being only shown diagrammatically in this relation in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Between the inner end of the transverse wall and the front end of the longitudinal wall is formed a gap or throat through which the letters are fed succes sivcly from the stack of uncanceled letters to the printing device and the mechanism Fig. 2 is a rear end elevafierial No. 773,163.

which stacks the canceled letters on the receiving portion or section 6 of the table. The mechanism for thus separating one letter at a time from the supply stack and moving the same forwardly to the printing and stacking mechanisms embodies several features of my invention and is constructed as follows:

7 represents a feed belt which passes with its front and rear turns around front and rear pulleys or rollers 8, 9 and which has its operative stretch arranged lengthwise of the table above the upper side thereof and extending from the inner or delivery portion of the supply section of the-table forwardly through the throat between the inner end of the transverse wall and the front end of the longitudinal wall, thence past the printing mechanism and thence past the inner end of the receiving section of the table. This feed belt comprises a main flat body portion 10 which is arranged vertically and'a friction rib 11 having a flat face and arranged centrally and length-. wise on the outer side of the body portion so as to form two longitudinal rabbets 12, 12 at opposite edges of the feed belt on the outer side thereof, as-best shown in Figs 2 and 8. The body of the feed belt and its rib may be constructed of any suitable ma terial, the body consisting preferably of leather and the rib of rubber or similar masame is provided between its upper and lower edges with a notch or recess 15.

. During the forward movement of the operative stretch of the feed belt its outer vertical side passes close to the front edge of the separator jaw while the rib of the feed belt projects into the notch or recess ofthis jaw. The effect of this is that while the operative stretch of the belt passes forwardly with its rib in engagement with the fiat outer side of the foremost letter of the supply section of the table this letter will be carried forwardly from the pile and through the throat between the transverse.

and longitudinal walls, and while passing through this throat that portion of the letter engaged by the belt and the separator jaw will be crimped slightly byreasonof the rib on the feed belt and the notched portionof'theseparating jaw forming a double kink in the letter or piece of mail matter;

By this means the foremost letter is firmly gripped by the feed belt and materially stifiened so that thesame will move forward reliably with the feed belt while the next followingletter will be held back by the separating jaw and thereby insure the feeding of but one letter at'a time from the supply stack to the printing and stacking mechanlsm.

The feed belt is normally retained in positionso that its operative stretch always stands withthe outer face of its body close to the front edge of the separatin jaw and its rib projecting into the notch 0 this jaw, I thisbeing'preferably effected by means of a erably'mounted by means of a vertical pivot onthe front arm of a horizontally swinging retainingleverl7 which is pivoted by means of a-pin 18 to a stationary part on the upper sideiof the table and this lever is constantly turned in the direction for moving the retaining roller againstthe inner-or back;

side of the feed belt by means of a spring retaining lever and the adjacent outer side r of the, longitudinal wall, as shown in Figs.

1' and 2.1 The movement of the retaming roller toward the separating jaw is limited so as to prevent this roller from pressing the feed belt against the separating jaw and wearing the same unduly,-the preferred means for thus limiting the movement of the retaining roller consisting of an adjustable stop screw 20 arranged on the front arm of the retaininglever and bearing against the outer side of the longitudinal wall, as shown in Fig; 1.

The thickness of therib on thefeed belt is less thanthe depth of thenotch in the separat'or jaw so that the belt may be adjusted very closely to the separator and even engage the; same without liability of engaging the outer face of its rib with the bottom of said .not'ch. By this means the feed belt l isin line or substantially so with the .rear

may beiso adjusted that the face of the rib edge portions of the separator above and below its notch and the letter engaged at 19' interposed between the rear arm of the three staggered points without producing a crimp in the same which is desirable for feeding very thin letters or other mail matter, or the rib may be adjusted to a greater or lesser extent into the notch of the separator for crimping the letters or mail inatter and obtaining a firmer grip on the same, this last mentioned. arrangement being more suitable for thick or heavy mail matter. By this means the feed belt can be adjusted to the separator to suit the character of the particular mail matter which is to be post marked without the possibility of the face of the rubber rib being dragged in contact with the separator, thereby avoiding undue wear of the latter and maintaining the same for a long time in a condition in which the same will properly grip the letters and feed the same forward one at a time past the separator before requiring renewal of this rib. Interruption in the. operation of the machine and cost of keeping the same in repair istherefore reduced to a minimum.

The front and rear pulleys of the feeding belt are mounted on the upper ends of an upright shaft 21, 22 which are onrnaled in suitable bearings arranged on the adjacent part of the table and may be driven by any suitable means.

As each letter issues from the throat of the supply section of the table the same is first intercepted by a timing device having an intermittently retractable stop 23 which prevents the continued forward movement thereof unless the printing mechanism is in the proper position to receive the same and thereafter the printing mechanism operates upon the letter to produce a post mark or canceling stamp thereon. This printing mechanism may comprise a printing wheel.

24 and an impression roller 25 which are arranged on opposite sides of the path of the letters as they issue from the feed throat.

As the letters issue successively from between the members of the printing couple they are operated upon by means of a stacking device which pushes the same laterally away from the feed belt upon the receiving section of the table, this stacking device consisting preferably of a plurality of cam arms 26 arranged on the shaft of the delivery pulley or a part turning therewith. v

I claim as my invention:

1. A mail marking machine comprising a relatively fixed separator having a notch in its operative edge, and an endless feeding belt having the upper and lower parts of its face moving past the edge. of said separator above and below said notch and provided between the upper and lower parts of its face with a continuous friction rib which passes through the notch of said separator.

2. A mail marking machine comprising a 1,136,960 7 lift;

relatively fixed separator having a notch in its operative edge, and an endless feeding belt having the upper and lower arts of its face moving past the edge of said separator above and below said notch and provided between the upper and lower parts of its face with a continuous friction rib which passes through the notch of said separator, the depth of said notch being greater than the distance from the face of said rib to the face of said feeding belt.

8. A mail marking machine comprising a feeding table, a printing mechanism, a stacking device, a separator arranged between the feeding table and the printing mechanism and provided in its operative edge with a notch, and an endless feeding belt passing along said feeding table, printing mechanism and stacking device and having the upper and lower parts of its face arranged close to the parts of the operative edge of said separator above and below the notch thereof, and a continuous friction rib arranged lengthwise on the face of said belt between the upper and lower parts thereof.

4. A mail marking machine, comprising a feeding table, a printing mechanism, a stacking device, a separator arranged between the feeding table and the printing mechanism and provided in its operative edge with a notch, an endless feeding belt passing along said feeding table, printing mechanismrand stacking device and having the upper and lower parts of its face arranged close to the parts of the operative edge of said separator above and below the notch thereof, a continuous friction rib arranged lengthwise on the face of said belt between the upper and lower parts thereof, and a time stop which is arranged between said separator and said printing mechanism and which is adapted to control the forward movement of the letters in harmony with said printing mechanism.

Witness my hand this 9th day of June,

FRED C. IELFIELD. Witnesses:

HENRY F. BURKHOLDER, MABEL A. SOHIFFERLI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

